Atchafalaya River Research Paper

Using scientific prose, Barry reveals his deep interest in the unusual physical properties of the river. Its natural characteristics are what sets it apart; the Mississippi does not conform to standards set by other rivers. Instead, it exceeds most major rivers in variation, depth, and volume. In fact, the Mississippi is so outstanding that “theories and techniques that apply to other rivers … simply do not work on the lower Mississippi” (Barry 25-28). Looking beyond its external features, the river also contains an intricate internal system unlike any other. In addition to the complicated internal circumstances that normally occur within rivers, the Mississippi also stands out because of its “size, its sediment load, its depth, variations in its bottom” and “its ability to cave in the riverbank and slide sideways for miles” (Barry 20-23). As he describes the unusual corporeal aspects of the Mississippi, Barry brings to light his own wonder in the face of such a daunting natural force. Characterizing the river with its physical properties allows

Flooding of the settlement was problematic. By 1812, the settlers had built miles of levees on the banks of the river. For the next two hundred years, the surrounding wetlands were drained to eliminate swamps filled with yellow fever carrying mosquitoes and to encourage economic development. Draining water from peaty soils encouraged subsidence. The land which was just inches above sea level to begin with steadily sank. In combat of this, higher and stronger levees were built, tightening the straight jacket already placed upon the Mississippi River. The massive flooding of 1928 brought further flood control systems implemented by the Army Corps of Engineers with Congressional blessing. By the 1950’s, dramatic rates of land loss in Louisiana’s coastal zone stretched across 300 miles from Texas to Mississippi and inland 50 miles. (Tibbetts)

The Mississippi River is one of the world’s major river systems not only in size, but in habitat diversity as well. It is the third longest river in North America. It flows 2,350 miles from its source at Lake Itasca through the center of the United States to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Old River flows from the Mississippi to the Atchafalaya River. To regulate this flow, the Old River is dammed by the Old River Control Structure, which is an effort by the Army Corps to keep the Mississippi River from giving most of its water to the Atchafalaya River. If that were to occur, Morgan City (a town of 12,000 that sits on the banks of the Atchafalaya River) would be underwater and New Orleans would lose its most vital asset in the Mississippi River. To New Orleans, the Mississippi River means financial success, as New Orleans is a transportation hub. Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana, also sits on the banks of the Mississippi River. Baton Rouge originally had an economy based on natural gas, to which the river was vital in a transportation aspect. Now, the state capital has an economy with many different sectors. Marucci Sports, best known for making baseball bats, calls Baton Rouge home. The Atchafalaya River would struggle to support economies that require transportation like the Mississippi River, as it doesn’t run the length of the United States. The Atchafalaya River is 137 miles long, compared to the Mississippi’s 2,320 miles, running from where the Red River and Old River meet all the way to the Atchafalaya Bay. The Atchafalaya Bay is connected directly to the Gulf of Mexico, which differs from the Mississippi River’s situation

It's not actually a silly question. The Mississippi no longer fits the definition a river as "a natural watercourse flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river." Rather, the waterway has been shaped in many ways, big and small, to suit human needs. While it maybe not be tamed, it's far from wild -- and understanding the floods that are expected to crest in Louisiana soon means understanding dams, levees, and control structures as much as rain, climate, and geography. From almost the moment in the early 18th century when the French started to build New Orleans, settlers built levees, and in so doing, entered into a complex geoclimatic relationship with about 41 percent of the United

Between Cairo, Illinois, and the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River twists and winds for nearly 1,000 miles. Commonly referred to as ‘the trunk of the American tree '. The river was vital to both the American Government and to the Confederate forces in the west.

Seventy-five years ago today was the beginning of some terrible times along the Tug River. At that time, what is now Mingo County, was a part of Logan County, home of the Hatfields. Across the Tug is Pike County, home of the McCoys. The McCoy’s lived in Pike County, Kentucky area while the Hatfields lived in Logan County, West Virginia area. The two were separated by the Tug River. The majority of the family members on each side fought during the American Civil war. They all fought on the confederate side except for Asa Harmon McCoy. He was the one “traitor” of the family and fought or the Union. Devil Anse Hatfield was the head of the Hatfield’s while Randolph McCoy lead the McCoy family. They both had very large families, close to a dozen

Suwannee River is the place where strangers are turned into friends. Suwannee River has been around for many years, Suwannee River was formed in December 21st, 1858. Stephen Foster never visited, but, named the Suwannee River “ Swanee River” after his song “Old Folks at Home” written in 1851. “Old Folks at Home” became Florida’s official state song in 1913.

They had thought about it but there was certain effects they just couldn’t over look. The Atchafalaya was used as a safety valve, to relieve a good deal of pressure and help keep New Orleans from ending up in Yucatan. The Atchafalaya was the source of water in the swamps and bayous of the Cajun world. The Atchafalaya was the water supply of countless towns and small cities. The Corps was not in a political or moral position to kill the Atchafalaya. The principles of nature said the more the Atchafalaya was given, the more it would want to take, because it was the deeper stream. The more it was given, the deeper it would make its bed. The Corps would have to build some kind of contraption that could give the Atchafalaya a portion of the Mississippi and at the same time prevent it from taking it all.

The water wars are between Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The main conflict in the water war is Atlanta city officials don’t want the US Army Corps of Engineers to lower the water flow to the Chattahoochee River. The Chattahoochee serves to irrigate over 700,000 crops and provide water power to a nuclear power plant in Alabama that generates most of the electricity for Alabama (Pittman). Apalachicola River is the largest flowing river in Florida and it helps determine the health of the Apalachicola Bay’s multimillion dollar seafood industry (Pittman). The Apalachicola also helps keep a balance of

Why is the Yadkin Pee Dee River Basin so important? Might it be because of the history it has with helping pilgrims settle in North Carolina? Or might it be because it drains not only parts of North Carolina, but also parts of South Carolinas. Some interesting information of the Yadkin River would be that there are a total number of 22 counties in the basin and, another fact would be that there is a total of 22988 acres of lakes in the basin. Another interesting fact would be that the population of the basin is about 1,463,535 people

The flood of the Mississippi river in 1927 was one of the greatest natural disasters until hurricane Katrina. The flood submerged 27,000 square miles along the lower section of the river that inhabited over 900,000 people. 700,000 residents along the river had to evacuate their homes and flee to a refugee camp. The unyielding waters of the flood produced disastrous damage and have significant impact of the residents along the river. The flood of 1927 caused a dramatic change in the way people saw and treated each other. In the spring of 1926, the central basin of Mississippi received heavy rain fall. The Mississippi River Commission stated that the levees would hold throughout the rainfall and would stand strong through any flood. The rain fell through March and into April. Many residents of Greenville, Mississippi fled the area for safety. All counties along the Mississippi river received anywhere from 6 to 15 inches of

The Mississippi River influences the states of Louisiana in numerous ways. The river can be both beneficial and harmful to the state. It may help with industries, but at the same time it may be harming by taking away from Louisiana’s coastline. While erosion is widely considered to be a destructive occurrence, it does have some necessary features. For example, erosion provides many nutrients for animals living in the water, and it creates new deltas that many animals live in. Since the beginning of Louisiana, the Mississippi River has been a crucial factor in the creation and the development of Louisiana’s economy. It has helped with things like trade and the growth of crops. The Mississippi is also significant in the way Louisiana is shaped

During the year 2000, the state legislature of Louisiana accepted the “Master Plan for the Atchafalaya Basin Program” and $85 million. This money was to be used over 15 years for water management, recreation projects, etc. In 2004, the Atchafalaya Welcome Center in Butte La Rose officially opened to the public. In 2008, the Atchafalaya Basin Conservation Fund was established. This also authorized the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources to submit an annual plan for the

The iconic terrain of the south, the Mississippi River, carries a variation of views and representations of its history. The Mississippi River is repeatedly the blame for causing accusations of racial discrimination and alterations to the southern region of the United States due to its historical currents and floods. In 1927, many believed the rain would subside; sparing the communities along the coastal area of the river, from what would coon become known as the flood that would change America. The 1920s was an era before the initiation of coordinated federal disaster management; because of this, some would add this to a long list of reasons as to why the Great Flood of 1927 tool hundreds of lives. In “Great Flood”, historian Stephen Ambrose